Having begun this with a fairly open mind when it came to Champix - a relatively new medication - in the 14 months since I first referred to it in my book, which was the end of May 2007 when its launch was announced in the U.K., I have decided upon a personal stance. […]
Filed under: Champix/Chantix, Drugs on Trial, The Campaign by Chris
4 Comments »
Out of the 13 comments awaiting moderation today, only 1 turned out to be real. The other 12 were mainly long lists of porn video titles, the strange variety of which makes me feel really normal, as I scroll down to the Spam button which prevents these things from getting on the site. […]
Filed under: Drugs on Trial, The Campaign by Chris
2 Comments »
I see the National Institute for Chemical Excess is at it again, trying to make sure no potential customers are missed in the brave project to get the whole of the U.K. on medication.
They are advising GPs to check back through their patient records for anyone with cholesterol levels that are allegedly ‘too high’ but […]
Filed under: Drugs on Trial by Chris
No Comments »
Steadily the disquiet about this medication seems to be building, particularly in the U.S., where it was made available first. There are certainly bad reports, but there are quite a few good reports as well. Trouble is, it is difficult to know whether these are genuine, or some form of marketing. I […]
Filed under: Champix/Chantix, Drugs on Trial by Chris
No Comments »
I’m going to leave this subject aside for a bit after this, but thanks to my colleague up North who sent this in: a recent report by The Daily Mail’s Medical Correspondent Jenny Hope. Apparently the number of deaths in the UK from adverse reactions to medications has risen by 131 per […]
Filed under: Drugs on Trial by Chris
2 Comments »
Personally I think the Internet is a wonderful thing in many respects, but I got emails today from internet pharmacies that are practically boasting that you can cut out the medical advice and just buy anything you want! Someone calling themselves Heinig put this in the Subject line:
“Prescriptions are a thing of the […]
Filed under: Drugs on Trial by Chris
No Comments »
When I first heard, years ago, that there was a Professor of Complementary Medicine at Exeter University, I was quite excited. At last, I thought, academia is taking complementary approaches seriously! Should have known better, shouldn’t I?
Edzard Ernst is NOT a Professor of Complementary Medicine, because he only ever professes against it! […]
Filed under: Drugs on Trial, The Campaign by Chris
3 Comments »
Even by my forthright standards, this is a provocative title but it is not hyperbole. Former GP and hospital physician Dr Vernon Coleman has published this book, which warns the public that: “The person most likely to kill you is not a burglar, a mugger, a deranged relative or a drunken driver. The […]
Filed under: Drugs on Trial, The Campaign by Chris
No Comments »
Clinical drug trials are back in the news: readers may remember with horror the 2006 trial by U.S. giant Parexel in which six human guinea pigs were hospitalised following near-fatal reactions to the substances being tested. These were dubbed the ‘Elephant Man’ trials in the media, because of the extent of the swellings. […]
Filed under: Drugs on Trial by Chris
2 Comments »
At the very end of the book, in the final section called A Pause For Breath which you can read here on the site, I mentioned the announcement of the coming of a new magic pill to stop people smoking, which coincided with my completion of the book in May 2007. What I didn’t […]
Filed under: Champix/Chantix, Drugs on Trial, Smoking, The Book by Chris
77 Comments »